


Quid Pro Quo

by Azvee



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Collars, Consort Will, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Hannibal takes over the world, M/M, No sex though, could be read as either gen or slash, world conquest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-04-10
Packaged: 2018-01-16 21:21:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1362169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azvee/pseuds/Azvee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Hannibal takes over the world he goes looking for the one man he considered an equal, a one William Graham, and offers him a deal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When Hannibal Lecter came to power; the world was shocked. Well, the world minus one Mr. Graham was shocked. The idea that a nice, mild-mannered man like Doctor Lecter could have such dark aspirations was no surprise to William Graham. He’d known about the good Doctor’s hidden nature long before the world knew him as a mighty conqueror. The world knew him only as a psychiatrist with ties to the FBI and friend to a possible murderer. Surely a man like that wasn’t capable of these actions.

Will knew better though, that’s why he hid the moment he heard the first whispers of what Hannibal’s true endgame was. The last time he’d tried to match wits with the man, Will ended up framed for murder several times over and was nearly sentenced to death. Only a bit of key evidence conveniently turning up just before the final verdict was enough to save him. Will had planned to go after Hannibal when he was once again a free man, but learned that the Doctor had gone on an indefinite vacation shortly after helping to bring the new evidence to light. Will had done everything he could to turn up evidence of his own to show what Hannibal really was, but the man had cleaned his house thoroughly before departing. It didn’t sit well with Will, but he hoped for once that this meant things would start to get better for him.

 

They didn’t though.

 

Several months later, when news of several strange burglaries and attacks by an unknown group began to surface, Will knew Hannibal had much bigger plans than to simply make him go mad. No one believed Will when he told them it was Doctor Lecter behind the events; why should they? Only Will was able to see the man responsible hiding behind the group’s actions. The man wanted to control, he needed to have power over others, and this was just the beginning. He was going to remake the world, refine it by fire and leave only the best parts for him to play with. With every new event that the media covered, Will saw more of Hannibal’s grand design. He knew how this would end; Hannibal would win. The man seldom played a game that he hadn’t already stacked in his favor.

Some might have called Will Graham’s choice to run a cowardly one, but they wouldn’t understand. Will knew Hannibal Lecter. The man was just as obsessive as he was twisted and Will had the misfortune of catching his attention. He also knew that that attention once gained was never truly lost. While leading an ever growing army might keep the Doctor busy for now, it wouldn’t last. Sooner or later he would turn his attention back towards Will; and Will did not want to be around when that happened.

So he left Wolf Trap one day, abandoned his entire world, and hid. He had hoped that he had disappeared well enough that Hannibal would be unable to find him. That was not the case.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal has taken over the world, now he just needs to find the right person to share it with. Luckily, he had men for that.

Despite what the world thought, Hannibal was a man of simple desires. He enjoyed the rare and the beautiful. He detested the common and undignified. These simple but strong emotions were what had led him to his current position. After all, what better way was there to purify the world of its imperfections than to rule it?

It was easier than most would imagine to take over the world. Really it was just a matter of being able to read people and some carefully planned manipulation. There was always an abundance of people that wished to be led and Hannibal knew just how to find them. A few honeyed words and they were ready to fight and die for his ‘worthy cause.’

After a considerable amount of toil, his new vision for the world was finally beginning to take shape. With an even distribution of resources, poverty was declining and hunger was quickly becoming a thing of the past. That’s not to say that Earth had achieved equality between classes or races, just that there were no longer people needing to worry about starving or dying in the streets. If he were to be completely honest; Hannibal did not care much what happened to the people he now ruled, but he did need to keep them reasonably content if he wished to retain his current position of power. So, he gave them superficial changes that seemed much grander gestures than they actually were. Thus far, no one seemed to have caught on to his scheme.

Since he had managed to successfully pacify the people he conquered, Hannibal now was able to work on more personal matters. He was actively searching for promising artists of any form to help actualize his ideas about a proper place of residence. He already had several ideas of what the final product should be, but needed those with the talent to bring it into reality. For now though, Hannibal contented himself to reside on a rather lovely castle on an island in New York. While not every detail of the structure was to his liking; it served as a fine substitute for the moment.

Another of his projects had finally borne fruit. One of the things Hannibal craved was interesting and intelligent company. Aside from one or two of his acquaintances, Hannibal had more often found himself surrounded by wealthy idiots with no original ideas in their minds. For a time, he had contented himself to walk among them and quietly pick off the rude and the dull. That was enough for him until Hannibal met William Graham. He was the one man that could truly be Hannibal’s equal, a partner and friend. He could see what Hannibal was and understand. Unfortunately, that understanding frightened Will. He was frightened enough to have seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth when Hannibal began his rise to power. This disappearance was problematic, but did nothing to deter Hannibal or curb his desire to have the man by his side. Fate had delivered Will Graham to Hannibal and he was determined to keep him.

Thus the search for Will Graham began. A personal search would have been preferable, but ultimately impractical considering the newfound responsibilities Hannibal had taken on as well as the resourcefulness of his target. Instead, he was forced to let others track down his friend with the promise of a great reward for the one that brought the man back alive and as undamaged as possible. While not as gratifying as having found William on his own, Hannibal could not argue with the results. It took less than two months for someone to locate and secure William for him.

Said man was currently being brought before Hannibal in a large room that was now being used as a meeting room of sorts. Will’s wrists were bound behind his back and he was brought in with a guard on each side. The wait to see his Will again was indeed worth it to see him so utterly trapped in Hannibal’s web, only able to offer token resistance to him.

“William,” Hannibal’s voice filled with warmth as his friend was forced to kneel before him. He was much thinner than when Hannibal had seen him last, apparently an unfortunate byproduct of assuming command of the world. “It is very good to see you, although it looks like you could benefit from a change of clothes and a good meal. Luckily, we can see to both of those issues now.”

To Hannibal’s eternal delight, he found Will’s flashing eyes focused intensely on his own; a truly rare occurrence for the man. Even under the dirty, unwashed hair and torn clothing, his Will was still thriving.

“I’d actually prefer to leave, thanks.” The voice spat out a mocking politeness while it cracked from disuse. Hannibal would see to it that he got some tea with honey and lemon to fix that.

“I’m afraid I simply cannot allow that, Will.” Hannibal slowly circled as he talked, assessing his prey from every angle. “I’ve spent a large amount of resources and time locating you. It would be rude to leave after just arriving. You will stay for a meal of course,” He grimaced as he ran a hand through Will’s long, grimy hair. “And possibly a haircut.”

“No I will not be staying for dinner.” Will snapped back even as he flinched away from Hannibal’s touch. “Or a haircut. Or whatever the hell else you can think of.”

“Such a harsh tone for such hollow words, William.” Hannibal said before grabbing Will’s chin in an iron grip and forcing eye contact again. “We both know that you have no real choice in the matter. You will remain here for as long as I wish and in whatever manner I choose.”

Icy tones and a fiery gaze met Hannibal’s calm one. “That sounds like a threat, Doctor.”

“Not a threat, a promise. I simply wish to take care of you, Will. You were never much good at that when we first met, and it seems that has not changed. It appears you need my help even more so now than before if your current appearance is anything to judge by.”

Will actually had the nerve to scoff at Hannibal. “Blame my current appearance on yourself. If you’d been less obsessive, maybe I wouldn’t have felt the need to run off and hide.”

“All the more reason for me to assist you then.”

“What is it you really want, Doctor Lecter?”

“Why simply to keep you safe.” He replied in a slightly patronizing tone while finally letting go of Will so he could resume his circling.

“Bullshit.”

Had anyone else chosen to use such a word, they would have found themselves on the dinner table or some other equally creative form of death but, for Will, Hannibal was willing to make an exception. The man had no doubt been through a great deal of stress recently. It was simply time to move on to the true nature of their meeting. “Language, William. Such vulgar words are very unbecoming of someone in your position.”

The word ‘position’ made Will pause before responding. “And just what is that position?”

“Great rulers of the past often found someone to share their reign with, and I see no reason to deny myself pleasurable company. I would be honored if you would accept my offer and become consort to the planet’s new ruler.”

Harsh laughter poured out from cracked lips, another problem that would easily be attended to. “And just why would I want to do that? If it were up to me, I’d never even look at you again and you want me to what, marry you? Are you completely insane?”

“I never said marry, but if that is what you wish…” Another laugh escaped Will but Hannibal continued as if he hadn’t heard. “This is a more than generous offer, Will. Many would gladly throw themselves at my feet and beg for the offer I have just given you.”

“But we both know it’s not really an offer is it?” Bitterness seeped into every word uttered as Will went on. “You just take what you want.”

Were he a softer person, Hannibal may have felt regret at those words, but he was not, and they only served to amuse him as he prepared to make the next move in their game. “I have no plans to forcibly bind you to me. Whatever choice you come to shall be of your own free will.”

Searching eyes looked for any sign of deceit or Hannibal’s true motives, but they were well hidden. While Hannibal watched Will attempt to probe his inner thoughts, he noted that the man hadn’t been sleeping well. Will had dark rings under his eyes that were much more pronounced than they even had been during his sleepless nights working for the FBI. Hannibal made a mental note to find Will something to help him sleep better, they were not something Hannibal considered an attractive feature.

While Hannibal was studying Will’s features, Will seemed to have reached his own  conclusions about Hannibal’s own motivations. “Then I refuse. Now let me go.”

Hannibal added just the right drop of concern into his voice as he asked Will to accept. “I wish you would reconsider, there are ple-”

“I said no. There is nothing that you can say to make me stay.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

A slow smile began to form on Hannibal’s face at the declaration. He had expected nothing less from the man. “Very well, if you do not wish to accept, I will not force you to stay.” With a gesture to one of the men still holding Will’s shoulders he was brought back to his feet and led towards the door.

“You’re letting me go?” The disbelief in Will’s voice was music to Hannibal’s ears.

“It would be wrong to force you to stay.” The door was opened for Will to leave, but several bodies were on the other side blocking his way. Another pair of guards stood waiting at the doors holding a slumped figure between them. Will froze at the site and was forced to the side by his guards to make room. As the new pair entered the room, the stranger between their arms stumbled and failed to keep pace and ended up getting dragged into the room. A small trail of blood followed behind him. Will’s mind was already working its way into the scene before him, picking up on every bruise and cut, trying to find a reason for such harsh treatment. Hannibal had a reason, but chose not to disclose it just yet, opting instead to casually brush off the situation. “You’ll have to excuse to mess on the way out, it seems that my men got a bit overeager with their treatment of Mr. Price.”

“Jimmy?” Disbelief filled Will as he tried to find his former coworker under the blood. A groan answered Will’s question as Jimmy Price was roughly shoved past him toward Hannibal. “What did you do to him?”

Hannibal continued on with his dismissive attitude when he replied. “I’m afraid that Mr. Price has been spreading a great deal of slander about me to the public, so he and the rest are to be put to death.”

“The rest?” A deceptively calm voice inquired.

“Oh yes, there were several offenders. Jack Crawford is also being kept here awaiting a final verdict along with Doctor Bloom and others.” Hannibal paused so Will could absorb these new facts. “It is very unfortunate to lose such bright minds, but it is a price that must be paid to ensure a pristine reputation.”

“So killing them is a better choice them?” An edge of hysteria tinted Will’s question.

“It would appear so. Unless you have a differing opinion on the matter?”

“Let them go!” The hysteria was growing in Will’s voice much to Hannibal’s delight.

“An idea that, while pleasant, bears little weight. The rambling of one unknown person can not be allowed to hold sway over the leader of a planet.” Hannibal waved away Will and the men holding him, seemingly bidding them to leave. “Goodbye William.”

“Wait.” The men escorting Will out of the room refused to halt though and he began to struggle in their grip. He called out again, with a mixture of desperation and frustration in his hoarse voice. “I said wait dammit!”

“What is it, William?”

Downcast eyes and slumped shoulders already told Hannibal that he’d just won, but verbal confirmation was needed. Will needed to seal his own fate. “I’ll stay.”

“But you already turned down my offer.”

The look that Will gave to Hannibal was so wonderfully broken, it was easily one of the most breathtaking views the conqueror of the world had ever seen. “You’ve proven your point, Hannibal, just for the love of God don’t hurt them.”

“And in what position are you offering this advice, William?”

If it were at all possible, the man seemed to shrink further into his baggy clothing before responding. “As your consort. You win.”

“Excellent.” Hannibal motioned to the men dragging Jimmy along to exit the room. “Please bring Mr. Price back to his room and see to it that he gets medical attention.” After they left, Hannibal turned his attention back towards his new prize, currently avoiding any sort of eye contact. Another quick gesture had Will’s bindings cut; they wouldn’t be needed anymore. “Now, come along, Will, let us find you something more befitting of your new stature.”

A shiver ran down Will’s back as Hannibal gently steered him out of the room and Hannibal once again found a smile stretching across his face. Everything was finally being put in it’s proper place.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the positive response! I didn't think people would actually enjoy this idea so much, now I just hope I don't screw it up!
> 
> And the castle used here would be Boldt Castle in New York which looks amazing. Check out some cool photos on their site.  
> http://www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo/
> 
> Once again, any questions/comments/concerns may be directed to either the comments section or my tumblr: azvee.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will attempts to come to terms with his deal.

The next week went by in a blur, but that didn’t bother Will. He was used to having time slip away from him. He was just glad that this time it didn’t involve murder charges. No, the week seemed more like a forced visit to the world’s most overbearing spa. Entire days were spent as a glorified dress-up doll for Hannibal as measurements were taken and more fabric than Will thought existed was draped on him. And, since that wasn’t embarrassing enough, Hannibal had insisted that he have help bathing. Will knew how to take a bath! But Hannibal ignored Will's protests and proceeded to lock him in a room with two _women_ who poured God only knows how many different kinds of oils and shampoos onto him before scrubbing every inch of his body. After that; they then proceeded to towel him down, despite Will’s repeated assurances that he did in fact know how to use a towel, before throwing him into a robe so fluffy that Will expected it to get up and walk away. Then they’d pounced on him with razors and scissors.

In the end, Will had left the room feeling ready to melt away into the walls and disappear but looking much cleaner. He apparently smelled better as well, if the satisfactory look Hannibal gave him was anything to go by. No more ship on the bottle for Will it would seem. From now on, it looked like Will was destined for a life full of cologne brands he couldn’t pronounce to save his life and the world’s most expensive conditioner.

And then there was the food. Hannibal, despite now needing to run a planet, still retained his culinary passion and had insisted on cooking several of the meals they shared. The thought made Will sick now that he knew where the meat was coming from, another habit Hannibal had apparently kept. But refusal was not an option, not if Will wanted to avoid eating Alana or Jack for their next meal. The way Hannibal would watch Will take the first bite of the meal unnerved Will and the man knew it. It amused Hannibal to watch Will knowingly consume the flesh of another human and Will was made to perform for him nearly every meal.

Hannibal seemed content to control every aspect of his life, from when he woke to what he wore, no detail seemed too small for Hannibal. “All of this is for your own good, William,” was Hannibal’s eternal mantra for every complaint lodged against him. The more Will stayed here, the more he felt like some sort of glorified pet and less like a person. He was pampered and spared no expense as long as he remained docile and tame, never biting the hand that fed him.

Since he was left with no other way to rebel, Will had taken to attempting to hide away from everyone whenever possible. A task that had been getting harder to do the longer he remained on Hannibal’s little island. He couldn’t confirm it, but Will was certain that the servants running around the castle and the grounds reported on his location to Hannibal. Short of having a tracking chip placed on him without realizing it, which was also another unfortunate possibility, Will could think of no other explanation for how quickly the man was able to find him.

For the moment though, he was alone. Will had snuck off to the flat rooftop to watch the groundskeepers hard at work below. Everyone was busy running around trying to please Hannibal, hoping to make a favorable impression with their new ruler. It probably wasn’t much of a change from having all of high society clamoring for his attention. At times Will wondered why Hannibal even bothered with world conquest, he seemed to rule wherever he went anyway.

“I was wondering where you had wandered off to.” A voice from behind startled Will out of his thoughts. “What brings you up here?”

It was Hannibal. _Coming to find his lost pet_ , Will thought with a grimace. “Just seeing how high up it is.” He replied before peering over the edge. “If someone fell from here, I imagine the fall would probably kill them.”

“That would be unfortunate.” Hannibal’s voice didn’t make it sound as if he thought even for a moment that Will had seriously debated the idea of jumping. He knew Will too well for that to have been a concern. “It’s a good thing that you didn’t slip over the edge, such accidents tend to bring sadness to those who once knew them. I imagine your old coworkers would feel a great deal of pain were we to lose you.”

“We wouldn’t want that to happen.”

There was a pause while Hannibal observed Will’s figure. “Are you cold today, Will?”

“Not particularly.”

“Well then, we don’t need to be wearing that scarf then.” Will’s back stiffened ever so slightly at the words. Of course he didn’t need to wear it, and they both knew why he did anyway.

“I thought it went well with the shirt.” The excuse sounded weak even to Will.

“Your scarf please, William.”

With a sigh, Will slowly removed the fabric from around his neck. As he peeled it off, the glint of metal in sunlight replaced it. Under the scarf was a golden collar, simple and unadorned with anything else. Hannibal had several others of varying style and material for different occasions. He had been very insistent that Will wear one every day. “So the world knows how valuable you truly are.” He had said, but Will knew that the man just wanted physical proof of his ownership to be visible.

“There we are. No need to hide from the wind or sun on such a pleasant day.” Hannibal said with a smile as he pocketed the scarf. He then traced the path of the collar, ignoring the way Will attempted to flinch away. “Much better.” He murmured before brushing imagined dust off of Will’s shoulders and turning him in the direction of the doors. “I thought you would like to see your friends off.”

“What?”

“Since Mr. Price is feeling better, I’ve decided that they no longer need take up space here. They’re to be sent back out into the world, although I will of course be keeping tabs on them. To encourage good behavior.”

Will gave a bitter laugh. “Of course, theirs or mine?”

Hannibal only smiled and walked back indoors, he knew Will would follow.

 

* * *

 

“Oh my God, Will!” Alana cried when she saw her missing friend. Her attempts to rush forward and meet him were quickly halted by the armed guards surrounding her and the rest of their small party. Alana refused to let her frustration show for long though and continued to talk as if there was not a human barricade standing between her and Will.“You’re alright! Where have you been?”

“Hey, Alana.” Will weakly responded, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here. He didn’t want their last view of him to be as just another item in Hannibal’s possession. All Will wanted to do was quietly put them on a boat and send them as far away from Hannibal as possible.

Jack seemed to be in a much more confrontational mood unfortunately. He’d been taken from his home in the dead of night and thrown into what was essentially a broom closet for the past two weeks. He was upset about a great many things since his former friend decided to take over the world, and seeing Will not only alive and well, but with Hannibal pushed him past the point of politeness into anger. “You disappear for months and all you have to say is ‘hi?’ Where the hell were you? We could have used your help.”

It was only after letting out some of his pent up anger that Jack took stock of Will’s physical condition. His gaze ended up settling on Will’s neck. “Is that a collar?” Will’s hand fidgeted around the material. “Why are you wearing a collar?”

“That would be my doing. It seemed appropriate.” Will could practically hear Hannibal's pleased purring as he spoke.

Jack, however could not. “Seemed appropriate? Nevermind. Come on, Will, time to go.”

“I’m afraid that William will not be leaving with you.” Hannibal paused to take in everyone’s expressions before going on. “He has chosen to stay as my consort instead.”

“Consort?” Brian asked with a disgusted look on his face. “You mean he whored himself out to you?” A frown marred Hannibal’s face as Will flinched at the words.

Jimmy elbowed the man sharply and hissed, “Shut up, Brian.” Unfortunately, the warning came just a moment too late and Brian found himself on the gravel before he even registered the blow to his cheek. One of the men escorting them off the island had landed a swift but forceful punch to the man’s jaw and appeared ready to do more. “Now now, that will be quite unnecessary.” Hannibal gently chided even though a pleased expression adorned his face. “I would be careful of your word choice, Mr. Zeller. Will is the only reason any of you are still alive right now.”

“What?”

“Consider it a trade.” Will mumbled. “Hannibal keeps me and you get to avoid his dinner table. I’d consider five for one a fair trade.”

“As would I. Which is why we have come to personally see you off. I thought it would benefit Will to see that you are unharmed and ready to leave.” Hannibal wanted to make sure Will saw he had upheld his end of the bargain. It would encourage Will to keep his as well.

“You expect us to just leave Will behind with you?” Beverly asked. She hadn’t seen Will in months and was not about to leave her friend behind with the man who had made his life a living hell.

“Yes. You make it sound as if you are sentencing poor William to a fate worse than death by having him stay here. I can assure you that no harm will ever come to Will again now that I am watching him.”

“Will?” Beverly ignored Hannibal and looked to Will for an answer to her question.

“It’s fine, Bev, really.” He responded in what was an almost successful attempt at a reassuring voice. “I’ll be fine.”

“Better than fine.” Hannibal corrected as he placed a possessive hand on Will’s shoulder.

“Yeah, haven’t ever been this pampered in my life.”

“No more hunting monsters for Uncle Jack to keep Will up at night. No more nightmares or skipping meals, nothing but the best for our friend from now on.” Hannibal's grip on Will's shoulder tightened slightly before he released it to cast a pointed look to his watch. He tsked and donned a look of what would once have been mistaken for apologetic. “I believe we have kept you from your daily lives for too long. My sincerest apologies for that. I shall let you get back to them now. Have a safe journey.”

With that apparent dismissal, the guards began to herd everyone onboard the boat with varying degrees of protest from them. Meanwhile, Will found himself being shepherded back up the path by Hannibal. He had shown off Will and ensured that everyone knew who he now belonged to. All that was left to do was send away the people that would have helped Will and trap him with Hannibal. No where to hide and unable to fight back.

A voice from the departing boat brought Will out of his head and back to the present. “Hey, Will!” It was Jimmy Price. He was yelling as he waved his one good arm in the air in an attempt to get the man’s attention. When Jimmy saw Will pause he continued. “Thanks!”

It wasn’t eloquent or long, but it was sincere. And somehow that made the prospect of eternity with Hannibal Lecter just a little more bearable. Will didn’t respond back, just nodded and raised a hand in reply and watched as a tiny little ferry boat took away the only people he could consider friends. He was on his own now, but they were safe, and Will found himself thinking about his trade again. It was more than fair he decided.

How bad could it be anyway?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel the need to add that while this looks okay at one in the morning, it may not look quite as nice at around noon, so there may be edits later on. If it turns out to be anything big, I'll put a note on the front of this.
> 
> Anyway, criticisms and conversation attempts go here or on tumblr.
> 
> azvee.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and the Ripper spend the night together.

Will should have known better. Nothing good could result from getting dragged out of bed in the dead of night by guards because, ‘Dr. Lector wants to see you.’ And yet, Will still found himself woefully unprepared for the situation before him.

“What are you doing?” Will heard himself ask, although the answer was fairly obvious. A terrified looking man was strapped down to a table while Hannibal busied himself by organizing several different blades and sharp objects. The Ripper had come out to play.

Hannibal greeted him with a pleased smile and a twinkle in his eye. “Ah good evening, Will. I was hoping you would appear soon. I’d like you to meet Mr. Daniels.” He gestured to the wide eyed prisoner. “Our friend has been trying to organize a resistance group.”

“Obviously that isn’t going so well.” Will deadpanned.

“He lacks the ability to lead effectively.”

At that insult, Mr. Daniels got enough nerve to find his voice. Granted, it was a shaky one full of fear, but he still managed to yell out, “You’re just scared of what we’re capable of!”

“I welcome the challenge of a resistance, but it must be one worthy of my attention and time. Your group is unorganized and acting with no real agenda or direction. It is a waste of my time.” Mr. Daniels attempted to speak again, but was silenced when Hannibal gently tapped his lips with a surgical knife. “Please, do not bother speaking. It will only add to my annoyance with you.”

Will still didn’t understand why he needed to be brought out of bed in the middle of the night, and was tired of waiting for an explanation. “So, why am I here?”

“I require your assistance.”

“What?”

“How should I kill this man?” Hannibal’s calm voice responded.

Will couldn’t believe it. Hannibal owned him and it still wasn’t enough for the man. He wanted to make Will into a killer. “No.”

“That is not a valid answer to my question, William.”

“I said no.” Will wouldn’t do it, Hannibal couldn’t make him murder another person. “I’m not going to kill for you, that wasn’t part of our deal.”

“Very well. I can’t force you.” Hannibal’s simple acceptance of Will’s statement worried him more than anything else he could have done. The Ripper simply pointed to a chair that had been set nearby. “Please take a seat then, it could be a long night.”

“You can’t ask me to just stand around and watch you kill a man.”

“I have offered you a seat, whether you choose to remain standing or not is entirely up to you. You will stay regardless though, our deal ensured your company and I would enjoy it right now.”

“Hannibal…”

“Sit. There will be no arguing of this if you wish to keep Dr. Bloom safe.”

With any further attempts at debate effectively squashed, Hannibal turned back to the man on the table and acted as if Will were not present. He didn’t need to acknowledge him to get his way, Hannibal only needed to wait. With a sigh, Will sat down and did his best to disassociate himself from the situation around him. He wouldn’t play Hannibal’s game. He could get through the night.

* * *

 

The first few cuts were the worst. Daniels clearly was not a man that had experienced much in the way of pain and screamed until his voice started to give out. The wounds inflicted on him weren’t even that deep or anywhere near a vital organ. They were near nerve clusters and sensitive skin though. Hannibal wanted to  hear his victim scream, he wanted Will to know how pained the man was. And the true show hadn’t even begun yet; Hannibal was only getting warmed up.

The worst part was the knowledge that Daniels wasn’t even the intended target. Hannibal was toying with Will, and Daniels just happened to be unfortunate collateral. It seemed that he had not given up on the idea of turning Will into a serial killer, he’d simply changed his approach. All Will needed to do to end the man’s pain would be to pick up a blade and finish him off. It would be a mercy to spare him from the Ripper. Another scream was torn from the man and Will wish he were anywhere but here.

His empathy was going into overdrive. He felt a phantom pain at each slice into Daniels’ flesh and the panic building within him. But, he also got a jolt of pleasure at each new sound of pain that was made by him, it sounded like sweet music to Will. Will was feeling both the thrill and the pain of both men in front of him. The contrasting emotions were tearing him in two and he wanted it to end.

“Hannibal, please." Will begged when the pain became unbearable.

“Please what?” His knife was paused just above the man’s stomach. Will clutched at his own as if that could help the man on the table.

“Just get it over with, there’s no need to draw this out.”

A swift cut across Daniels’ abdomen and a broken cry was Will’s answer. “How long this goes is entirely up to you.”

Will couldn’t take the sobs and pleading a moment longer. He grabbed a knife and plunged it into the man’s throat. There was a bit of thrashing and gurgling before the body on the table stilled. Will stood there a moment, watching the wide, brown eyes go dark before backing away from the scene. There was blood on his hands now, and Will didn’t know if it would ever wash off. He moved back until he hit the wall and sank down against the solid surface, feeling as if he had been cut adrift. Everything seemed to be floating on a sea of growing blackness. Before Will sank beneath the darkness; a distant voice reached his ears, sounding familiar and pleased.

“Excellent.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill, comments/critiques go here on on tumblr: azvee.tumblr.com


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will finds a way to get back at Hannibal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a short chapter while I write the next hopefully longer chapter.

After the incident with Mr. Daniels, Will did his best to avoid Hannibal as much as possible. He was granted a few days of respite before talk of ‘inviting Ms. Katz to dinner’ came up while they ate the lungs of the former resistance leader. After that Will stopped disappearing within the castle and stopped talking instead, which actually seemed to bother Hannibal more than his absence had.

Talking was never part of their deal, just Will’s staying peacefully with Hannibal. And, other than his silence, Will was being the perfect house guest. He never missed a meal, went to whatever little event or meeting required his presence, he even wore the collars without complaint. All without saying a single word to Hannibal.

The first few days of silence were simply ignored and brushed off as a minor annoyance. But when the days became a week, Hannibal began to get concerned. He tried to make light of the situation at first, still going about his daily routine without pause.

“How much longer are you going to keep up this petty little display?” Hannibal asked while Will tried on a dark blue suit. He only got a noncommittal shrug in response. “It’s very childish and I expected better from you.” An obstinate glare was his response this time. A slight frown marred Hannibal’s face for a moment before it disappeared and his mask was put back in place. “Take off that suit, it’s bunching too much around the shoulders.”

When Will still wasn’t talking after two weeks, the concern changed into irritation. The walks that they took around the tiny island were tense with Hannibal occasionally attempting to get a response out of his reluctant companion.

“You do realize that you have condemned yourself to life as a mute don’t you, William?” Will didn’t appear to be bothered by the idea and Hannibal’s temper continued its slow rise.

Two days later Hannibal ran out of patience. “It’s been sixteen days now, haven’t you pouted enough?” The ruler of the world put down his fork with an unnecessary amount of force when he got no response. “Dinner is meant to be a meal where people engage one another in polite conversation, William, and it seems as if you are making no effort to do so right now. Either start talking or go without food until you speak again.” When Will still made no sign of acknowledgement, Hannibal grabbed the guards by the doors and had him escorted back to his room. The last sight Will saw as he was led away was a scowl firmly in place on Hannibal’s face.

Will Graham went to sleep with the knowledge that there was at least one way to get back at the man that had ruined his life. Going hungry for a bit seemed a small price to pay for that satisfaction. He knew Hannibal wouldn’t really let him starve to death, and Will already had plenty of experience with going hungry from childhood. He would win this fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel the need to say now that I'm not quite sure where this story is going plot wise just yet...so things may be a bit scattered for a while.
> 
> If you've got questions/critiques/direction, come visit in the comments or on tumblr.
> 
> azvee.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and critique are welcome!


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